With
so much talk about the auto industry's effort's to find alternative
fuels, it's no wonder that aviation corporations are joining the
search to reduce carbon emissions. Aerospace and defense
giant Boeing and
Chinese oil company PetroChina along
with the global aviation industry and representatives of the Chinese
energy sector have signed
an agreement to assess the idea of establishing a
sustainable aviation biofuels industry in China.

The
assessment will look at socioeconomic and environmental
benefits of developing alternative fuels as opposed to fossil-based
fuels. In addition, it will examine every stage of sustainable
aviation biofuel development such as agronomy, energy inputs and
outputs, infrastructure, lifecycle's emissions analysis and
government policy support.

"Boeing
is actively pursuing biofuel
research around the world," said David Wang, Boeing China
President. "Sustainable biofuels can help reduce carbon
emissions while offering the potential to lessen aviation's
dependence on fossil fuels. Through these agreements, China, its
aviation sector and its leadership are demonstrating tremendous drive
in the quest to develop a clean, sustainable aviation fuel supply."

The
project is to support "a broader sustainable aviation biofuel
agreement" between the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and
China's National Energy Administration. The project aims to promote
the use of aviation biofuels in China and commercialization through
the U.S.-China
Energy Cooperation Program (ECP), which is a public-private
partnership to combat climate change and enhance energy security. Air
China and PetroChina will be "leading the Chinese team"
while U.S. companies taking part in the project are Honeywell's
UOP, United
Technologies and AECOM.

Furthermore,
Boeing and the Chinese
Academy of Science's Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess
Technology (QIBEBT) have recently announced the building of
a Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Aviation Biofuels, dedicated
to the observation of "algal growth, harvesting and processing
technologies," in order to expand on their efforts to research
algae-based aviation biofuels. It will be managed by Boeing Research
& Technology-China and QIBEBT and will be located in Qingdao.

An
"inaugural flight" using the sustainable biofuel will
eventually be conducted by Boeing, Air China, PetroChina and
Honeywell's UOP. PetroChina provides the biomass and Honeywell's UOP
it into jet fuel. They will use the sustainable biofuel "derived
from biomass grown and processed in China."

The test
flight will occur in China, but it is unknown when or
exactly where the flight will take place at this time.

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